The planned rezoning and renovation on the waterfront of Sunset Park will be a huge change for the residents and workers who live and work there. This deindustrialization will result in major changes to the big businesses that reside there as well as the small businesses that contribute to the economy of Sunset Park. Although the new project promises to supply many new jobs to compensate, it’s not certain just how many jobs that will be and whether it will be enough to supply jobs to the workers it will displace.
The new projects will have a great impact on the social dimensions and demographics on the waterfront neighborhood. As much as people promote innovation and its benefits, the benefits do not reach everyone and even have negative impacts on some people, such as the workers the innovative projects displace. These people will have to find other jobs and maybe even have to move to different neighborhoods as Sunset Park becomes less affordable to them. The new projects will attract more middle and upper class people to the area, thereby causing rents to rise and relocation of people of lower income, thus promoting gentrification. The only people benefiting from these innovation projects are the owners of these new buildings, the higher-income individuals, and perhaps the people who manage to secure jobs working there.
These articles from this week’s readings have not changed my stance on being a techno-pessimist, however, it has opened eyes to many new issues that I hadn’t thought of that come along with innovation.
Correct observations, Amy. But to show that you have really read and absorbed them, make sure your posts bring up specific points from the reading assignments.